Anyone recommend a great periodontal surgeon?

November 8, 2012 10:30 AM

Can anyone recommend a great periodontist in the Boston area for a gum graft in a visible area?

I need a gum graft on my upper jaw near by eye teeth. I have had them before but always lower mouth or back of the mouth, not where they would be visible.

I know it is hard to do a gum graft that is not visible, but I know great strides have been made recently.

Any recommendations in the metro boston area?

posted by UMDirector to health & fitness (4 answers total)

Two or three years ago I had one done in the same place by the folks at the Harvard Vanguard dentistry office in Davis Square. You can't tell it's there. And, once I stopped sobbing in anxiety, it went incredibly smoothly and easily. Fairly sure it was this guy.

However, they were bought out by a group of the dentists, and last time I went I thought the level of service had declined and the hygienist who did my cleaning hurt my gums as they have never hurt before. So YMMV at this point.
posted by olinerd at 10:58 AM on November 8, 2012

Kenneth Backman comes highly recommended by my oral surgeon. My oral surgeon is The Boss and has never led me astray. I haven't used this periodontist yet (have some future work planned) but I am very confident in his skills and training.
posted by kellybird at 12:09 PM on November 8, 2012

Or... if you are super concerned with the cosmetics and have money to burn, consider getting a recommendation from Dr. Sulikowski prior to your graft. His work is 100% impeccable. He won't do the graft himself, but he'll send you to someone who will do a perfect job using the latest techniques. Dr. S charges $500 for a consultation alone. (He also charges a stupid amount of money for cosmetic dentistry. Like the down payment on two houses.) He's the best around, though.
posted by kellybird at 12:16 PM on November 8, 2012

My dentist referred me to Mark DerKazarian at Cambridge Periodontics when I needed periodontal work done, and he and his staff have been great through two minor surgeries and many regular checkups. I particularly appreciate that he is super communicative about exactly what he thinks of the state of my mouth, and what he is doing and why, as opposed to many doctors whose attitude is more "OK, I'm taking care of it, don't worry about the details."
posted by dfan at 6:55 AM on November 9, 2012